Methods for welding two pieces of metal together are well-known. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, there are many techniques utilized for making strong, long lasting welds for various assemblies, for example but not limited to, pressure transducer assemblies. However, the application of thermal energy in welding two components may lead to an uneven distribution or dissipation of the thermal energy in the two components, since the thermal energy distributes or dissipates faster in a larger mass than in a smaller mass. A first component may be capable of distributing or dissipating thermal energy within its mass faster than a second component, since the mass of the first component is greater than a mass of the second component. Further, thermal energy from welding the weld may dissipate slower in the second component than the first component, resulting in a temperature of the second component increasing at a fluster rate and being greater than a temperature of the first component. This combination may lead to an area near the weld on the second component having a higher temperature for a longer time than an area near the weld on the first component. Therefore, when the masses of the two components being welded are different, the thermal energy from welding may cause stress to the weld, which may be associated with the two components cooling at different rates. Thus, when the weld is initially applied between the two components, it may appear to be a strong weld. However, the weld may fail, for instance, after a large number of cycles due to fatigue and crack propagation.
For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a prior art assembly 100 having a weld 104 between a first component 101 and a second component 103. The first component 101 is connected to the second component 103. As illustrated, the first component 101 is larger than the second component 103. In one example, the first component 101 may be a header assembly and the second component 103 may be a sensor mounted to the header assembly. The first component 101 includes a small step 102 onto which the second component 103 is connected. A weld 104 is used to connect the first component 101 to the second component 103. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, welding a weld creates substantial heat, which locally heats both sides of the weld to higher temperatures. It shall be understood that, because of its size, the welding temperature applied to the second component 103 heats faster and, in some instances, to a higher temperature than the first component 101. However, the heat applied to the first component 101 associated with the weld 104 may dissipate faster than the heat applied to the second component 103 since a thermal mass of the first component 101 is greater than a thermal mass of the second component 103, resulting in the first component 101 being able to dissipate the heat from the weld 104 at a faster rate than the second component 103. Thus, the heat applied to the second component 103 while welding the weld 104 dissipates at a slower rate than the first component 101 since the second component 103 has less mass to dissipate the heat, resulting in an area near the weld on the second component 103 remaining at a higher temperature than an area near the weld 104 in the first component 101.
This mismatch in thermal energy dissipation between the first component 101 and the second component 103 may create stress within the weld 104. This stress, however, is not always immediately evident after the weld 104 is made, but it may cause the weld 104 to fail due to, for instance, fatigue crack growth over time. Accordingly, there is a need for improved techniques to allow for tuning heat dissipation of a weld connecting two different sized components. In addition, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and the foregoing technical field and background.